The official illustrated history of Blue Note, the most influential and important brand in jazz

Blue Note is not only known as the purveyor of extraordinary jazz but is also famous as an arbiter of cool. The superb photography of co-founder Francis Wolff and the cover designs of Reid Miles were integral to the label’s success and this highly illustrated publication – featuring the very best photographs, covers and ephemera from the archives, including never-before-published material – commemorates Blue Note’s momentous contribution to jazz, to art and design, and to the music business.

Tracing the evolution of jazz from the boogie-woogie and swing of the 1930s, through bebop, funk and fusion, to the eclectic mix Blue Note releases today, the book also narrates a complex social history from the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany to the developments in music and technology in the late 20th century. Celebrating over eight decades of extraordinary music, this book demonstrates how Blue Note has stayed true to its founders’ commitment to ‘Uncompromising Expression’.

About the Author:

Richard Havers was a British music author, journalist, consultant and broadcaster. He was the author of over fifty books, including Rolling Stones 50 and Verve: The Sound of America, both published by Thames & Hudson.

The Cover Art of Blue Note Records is Graham Marsh and Glyn Callingham’s classic collection of the unparalleled record sleeves produced by the celebrated Blue Note record label.

Around January 1956 the photographer Francis Wolff and Alfred Lion of Blue Note Records met Reid Miles, a commercial artists and a devout classical music fan. After establishing a rapport, Reid Miles became the designer for the Blue Note label for the next eleven years creating wonderful graphic covers that were both unique and also retaining the indefinable Blue Note look. Featuring iconic covers for artists such as Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Art Blakey, this anthology is an evocative piece of Jazz history.

Alongside over 400 of the record label’s best  album covers is a selection of short essays written by leading industry figures. Both a comprehensive guide to an acclaimed label, and an insightful snapshot of graphic design history, The Cover Art of Blue Note Records is a must-have for all Jazz fans.

About the Authors:

Graham Marsh is an art director, illustrator and writer. He is the co-author and art director of many ground-breaking books including The Cover Art of Blue Note Records Volumes 1 and 2, East Coasting and California Cool all published by Collins & Brown.

Glyn Callingham runs the legendary Ray’s Jazz Shop in London. He is co-author of The Cover Art of Blue Note Records Volumes 1 and 2, East Coasting and California Cool. He contributes to several jazz magazines and is a walking encyclopaedia on jazz of the fifties and sixties.

Blue Note Records ― co-founded in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff ― celebrates seventy-five years dedicated to recording the greatest musicians in jazz history.

One hundred of the musicians who defined the premier jazz label are celebrated in photographs by Wolff. These photographs, taken from 1948–1969, catch the stars in action: performing onstage, in recording sessions, or cutting stylish silhouettes around town. The powerful images were used to illustrate the label’s iconic album covers, and this curated selection features jazz greats Louis Armstrong, Art Blakey, Ornette Coleman, Chick Corea, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Dexter Gordon, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, and many more.

Lion and Wolff shared a lifelong passion for music and an unwavering commitment to record quality albums by innovative musicians, even in the face of economic crises and changing musical trends. They witnessed the greatest jazz acts of all time and Wolff’s photographs bring to life their most intimate and exciting performances. Each photograph is identified by subject, session or album being cut, and date; and the featured artists are indexed for easy reference.

This volume ― enriched with one hundred intimate and candid photographs ― recounts the label’s dazzling saga.

Following the success of Rizzoli's The Blue Note Years, the treasured archive of Francis Wolff photographs has been opened once again to present a previously unseen collection of dynamic images. Included are never-before-published colour images from Wolff's later years of photography. This volume is a collection of the jazz photographs taken from 1941 to 1968 by Francis Wolff, co-founder of Blue Note Records, to document the world's most famous jazz label.

Vignettes tell the story of Blue Note Records; its founders, Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff; recording master, Rudy Van Gelder; and many of the labels' great artists -- Jimmy Smith, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Grant Green, John Coltrane, Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Joe Henderson, and Art Blakey, among others.